Spinning frame



Aug. 12, 1941. R. D. TARR SPINNING FRAME 2 Sheets-Sheet l Filed Oct. 11, 1939 MC INVENTORI b kM/a,

l I ,1 I

Aug. 12, 1941. R. .D. TAINQR 2,252,531

SPINNING FRAME Filed Oct. 11, 1959 2 Sheets-Sheet 2 I INVENTORZ 631.1 %.m,

if I 1 Patented Aug. 12, 1941 SPINNING FRAME Roderic D. Tarr, Biddeford, Maine, assignor to Saco-Lowell Shops, tion of Maine Boston, Mass., a corpora- Application October 11, 1939,-Serial No. 298,941

' 4 Claims.

This invention relates to spinning, twisting and roving frames and like machines. For convenience. machines of this type will be hereinafter referred to generically as spinning frames. The invention is more especially concerned with the drawing mechanisms used in these machines.

' As is well understood by those skilled in this art, a machine of the type just mentioned includes a series of upper and lower drawing rolls through which the fibrous strands to be op-V erated upon are fed in parallel relationship. In the usual arrangement each pair of rolls is operated at a higher speed than the preceding pair so that the fibers are drawn out, attenuated,

and disposed in a more nearly parallel relationship to each other as they are fed through the drawing mechanism. The lower rolls are posi-' tively driven from gearing, customarily located at one end of the frame, and they extend the entire length .of the machine, which may be a distance of fifty or sixty feet. The upper rolls are driven merely by their contact with the lower rolls. Because of the great length of the lower rolls and the nature of the machining operations required in producing them, it has been customary to make these rolls in short sections and to connect the sections rigidly together, end to end, to produce along shaft or roll which operates as an integral unit.

The present invention is especially concerned with the lower rolls of drawing mechanisms and it has for its general object to obviate several objectionable features in the common commercial constructions.

These lower rolls are supported at intervals in bearing recesses formed in roll stands spaced apart by distances usually of from eighteen to twenty-four inches. It has long been known that these bearings get out of line during the operation of the machine, and that the effects of such misalignments are highly objectionable both from an operating and a maintenance standpoint. In fact, it is customary to tear down the machines at suitable intervals and to realign the bearings supporting these lower rolls. This is expensive not only because his a time consuming and laborious operation, but also for the reason that it takes the machine out of production during the entire period required for dismantling, reassembling and aligning.

Another objection to the customary construction of these lower rolls presents itself in the case of those drawing systems in which a drawing belt or apron is employed. These systerns are now used very commonly-and each drafting unit in a system of this type includes at least one endless belt encircling a portion of a lower roll and driven by it. When such a belt breaks, becomes worn, or requires replacement for any reason, it is necessary either to dis mantle the machine sufllciently to remove the driving roll and then to slip the belt over the end of it and move it into the correct position, or else to run a strip of belting over the roll, bring its ends together properly, and cement them. Either method interrupts production for an undesirable period of time. In the former method a great number of parts must be removed and subsequently reassembled, while in the latter the cementing operation must be performed with considerable care and time must be allowed for the cement to dry before the machine can again be put into operation.

To devise a thoroughly practical solution for the diificulties above described, constitutes the chief object of the present invention.

In the accompanying drawings, which show a preferred embodiment of the invention Figure 1 is a perspective view of a portion of a spinning frame including parts embodying the present invention;

Fig. 2 is a side view of bearing stands supporting the opposite ends of a lower roll section and illustrating the ease with which this section can be romeved, portions of the roll stands being shown in section;

Fig. 3 is a view, partly in section and partly in elevation, showing on a larger scale details of the joint structure utilized in the machine and the manner in which it is supported in the roll stand; and

Fig. 4 is an angular view of parts of the joint.

Preparatory to a detailed description of the construction shown in the drawings, it may be pointed out that the illustrated embodiment of the invention overcomes the objections to prior art spinning frames above referred to by connecting the sections of the roll together, end to end, with coupling members or joints of such a nature that while they will transmit driving torque from one section to the next adjoining section, they will also permit or accommodate misalignment of adjoining sections and, in addition, will provide for the removal of any section without disturbing the adjacent sections.

Figure 1 shows a part of a spinning frame embodying the invention disclosed in U. S. Patent No. 1,804,968. The machine includes front,

tively. mounted in suitable roll stands, and top rolls 6, 8 and I resting upon and cooperating with the respective lower rolls 2, 8 and l. The intermediate lower roll drives a series of belts one such belt cooperating with the fiber feeding or working surfaces of each set of rolls, and a slip roll it rests on each adjacent pair of belts, all as shown and described in said patent. For a more complete description of the organization and operation of a drawing mechanism of this type, reference should be made to the patent.

As above indicated, each of the lower rolls consists of sections Joined together end to end, and the opposite ends of each section are supported in roll stands such as those shown at I! and ii in Figs. 1 and 2. Adjoining sections are operatively connected at said stands by joint structures of the character shown more in detail in Figs. 3 and 4.

Referring to Fig. 3, it will be seen that the bearing portion of the roll stand I! is divided to provide two bearing areas I and IS in which the journal portions lt-IG of two adjoining roll sections 2--2 are supported. These journal sections are of reduced diameter and they connect two integral portions of their respective rolls which are of greater radius, one consisting of a disk-like head I1 and the other of a correspondingly shaped portion of the roll itself. Accordingly, these larger parts of the rolls at the opposite ends of the journal sections overlap the lateral faces of the roll stand at opposite ends of the bearing surfaces and thus position the roll sections axially. In other words, they prevent any substantial longitudinal or axial movement of the roll sections in either direction.

Interposed between the jointmembers "-41 is a disk or key it which is slidably associated with both the other joint members. That is, the disk' has diametrically disposed tangs or key pieces aa projecting from its opposite faces and located at right angles to each other to fit into similarly located grooves or keyways bb formed in the adjacent faces of the portions l'l-ll of adjoining roll sections 2. Thus this joint structure accommodates misalignment of the two roll sections joined by it while constantly transmitting the torque necessary to drive each section from a preceding one. Such a joint is used at the end of each section to connect it with the next section throughout the length of the frame.

While this joint structure does not connect two adjacent sections together against axial movement away from each other, the desired axial spacing of the parts necessary for good running conditions is maintained by the engagement of the shoulders of the tworoll ends with portions of the bearing stand, as above described. Suflicient clearance is provided between the parts to maintain good operating conditions and to permit the joints to accommodate any degree of misalignment which may naturally be expected to develop in the normal operation of the spinning frame. It will be observed that if each roll section is made of a length of, say, twenty. four or thirty inches and, due to such conditions as those above described, one roll stand moves out of line with one or both of its neighbors by perhaps an eighth or even a quarter of an inch, the amount of displacement of the roll sections at that joint will be relatively slight, only a matter of some thousandths of an inch, so that the joint structure would still accommodate such misalignment while continuing to function satisfactorily as a torque transmitting device, and

while also permitting each roll section connectedby it to center itself in its own bearing elements."

A further and very important advantage of this construction is that it permits the removal of any roll section 2 without disturbing the adjoining sections. That is, the diametral slots b-b, Fig. 2, in opposite ends of any section are located parallel to each other. Consequently, in order to remove any section it is simply necessary to remove the top rolls cooperating with it and then to turn the lower section in its bearings until the slots 21-!) are in a more or less vertical position, at which time the section can be lifted upwardly out of them, as shown in Fig. 2. It will slide freely out of place because the bearing slots in the roll stand are open at the top and such movement is permitted by the engagement of its ends with the tangs a--a of the cooperating keys l8 at opposite ends of it. If the roll section has been damaged for any reason it can be promptly replaced with another one, or if it is a section of a lower middle roll 3, Fig. 1, and has been removed simply for the purpose of ,renewing or replacing a drawing belt or apron 8, that can be done quickly and the roll may then be returned to its operative position. Such a repair or replacement occupies only a very brief interval of time, it disturbs few elements other than those with which it is immediately concerned, and accordingly, there are few parts to be removed and replaced.

Lubricant may be supplied to the friction surfaces of the joints by packing the well or cavity 20 in each roll stand with waste, felt, or other fibrous material, suitably supplied with oil held in the well.

Thus the invention overcomes those difliculties above referred to which have been experienced through the many years that the practice has been followed of using lower drawing rolls made of sections rigidly connected together and supported in bearings which also have been rigidly associated with each other. As distinguished from this construction, the invention enables each roll section to align itself in its own bearings, while connecting the sections together in torque transmitting relationship, and these conditions are preserved without binding of the parts even after the sections have become misaligned due to such causes as those above mentioned. Notwithstanding these conditions, the ends of the sections remain so spaced that the keys connecting them can slide freely at all times to accommodate departures of the sections at various joints from a common axial alignment.

While .I have herein shown and described a typical embodiment of my invention, it will be understood that the invention is susceptible of embodiment in other forms without departing from the spirit or scope thereof.

Having thus described my invention, what I desire to claim as new is:

1. In a spinning frame, the combination of a lower drawing roll comprising a series of sections located end to end, bearings supporting said roll at intervals spaced therealong, and joints connecting said sections at said bearings, each of said joints comprising a disk interposed between the ends of two adjoining sections, said disk having radial tangs at opposite ends thereof and located at right angles to each other, and said sections having radial grooves in which said tangs fit, the grooves at opposite ends of each section being parallel with each other, whereby the section may be lifted out of the bearings supporting it without disturbing the adjoining sections.

2. In a spinning frame, the combination of a lower drawing roll comprising a series oi sections located end to end, open-topped bearings supporting said roll at intervals spaced therealong, and joints flexibly connecting said sections at said bearings and permitting an; section to be disconnected from the adjoining sections of the roll and lifted out of its bearing while leaving the latter sections in place, said joints accommodating misalignment of said sections.

3. In a spinning frame, the combination of a lower drawing roll comprising a series of sections located end to end, open-topped bearings supporting said roll at intervals spaced therealong, and joints flexibly connecting said sections at said bearings and serving to transmit torque from one section to the next, said joints including parts relatively movable transversely to the axis or the roll to vpermit a section so connected to others to be lifted out of the bearings therefor and disconnected from the adjacent roll sections while the latter remain in place.

4. In a spinning frame, the combination of a lower drawingroll comprising a series of sections located end to end, bearings supporting said roll at intervals spaced therealong, and joints connecting said sections at said bearings, each of said joints comprising a disk interposed between the ends of two adjoining sections, said disk having radial tongue and groove connections with the ends of the roll sections joined thereby, said connection with one section being at right angles to that with the other section, said sections at each bearing having journal portions and each of said bearings having bearing areas spaced apart axially and supporting said journal portions.

RODERIC D. TARR. 

